


By Your Side

by haircutnamedarthur



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Caretaking, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Dates, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Ice Cream Parlors, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:02:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24634252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haircutnamedarthur/pseuds/haircutnamedarthur
Summary: Sing drops by Yut Lung's apartment to check in on him and finds him drinking alone.  Despite everything that has happened, Sing wants Yut Lung to realize that he's on his side and that he shouldn't have to face his demons alone.  First he needs to convince Yut Lung that he actually likes him and cares about him rather than just tolerate him.This fic was written for the 2020 Banana Fish Reverse Big Bang event and was inspired by art created by RottenVelvet (@RvelvetArts on Twitter)!  The art is included in the story below, and please check it out on Twitter as well!
Relationships: Lee Yut-Lung/Sing Soo-Ling
Comments: 10
Kudos: 80
Collections: Banana Fish Reverse Big Bang





	By Your Side

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy the story and the art! This collaboration was a ton of fun to work on and it's very exciting to be able to share it!
> 
> [Mild emetophobia warning for a brief (non graphic) description of a character vomiting due to drunkenness]

Sing wasn’t entirely certain why he kept checking in on Yut Lung after everything that had happened. Even knowing the role he had played in all the awful shit that occurred, Sing still came around. There were so, so many choices that he disagreed with. More than disagreed with. Choices that he _hated._ So much harm had been done to people he cared about, and Yut Lung had been involved at pretty much every step along the way in one capacity or another.

But Sing knew that a lot of harm had been done to Yut Lung, too.

While Sing wasn’t interested in excusing the despicable plots Yut Lung had tangled himself up in, at least it helped to explain it. When he’d told Yut Lung that he couldn’t hate him, he’d really meant it.

Anyway, Sing often had the sense that in many ways things had spiraled out of Yut Lung’s control. And there were those moments where Sing felt like he could see past Yut Lung’s bitterness and what he saw was someone who was scared and hurt and in way, way, over his head. 

That’s what Sing told himself, anyway, as he let himself into Yut Lung’s apartment without so much as knocking. Since Yut Lung hadn’t replied to his text messages, he had a pretty good sense of what he would find. A few months back, when it became clear they were going to try and work together, Yut Lung gave Sing a key to the apartment “just in case you need it.” Sing had already developed a habit of dropping by anyway, which he had eventually admitted to himself was born mainly out of worry, so he was happy to accept the key. 

“Yue, you didn’t answer my texts. I’m coming in,” Sing hollered, loud enough to be heard throughout the apartment. He slipped his shoes off and flicked the light switch on, frowning when he didn’t hear a reply. 

Sighing, Sing poked his head into the kitchen. Nothing. The living room was empty as well. Even though the bedroom door was closed, it wasn’t locked and Sing went right in without bothering to announce his presence.

“Yue,” He sighed. Sure enough, Yut Lung was sitting up in bed, swirling red wine around in an elegant glass. There was a mostly empty bottle on his bedside table. Yut Lung’s dark eyes narrowed when he saw Sing in his doorway. He could have a pretty good poker face when he was drunk, but Sing knew him well enough to recognize that he was absolutely plastered. His movements weren’t as graceful as usual, and Sing saw some wine splash onto the red bed sheets as he swirled the glass. No way that would have happened if he hadn’t been completely in the bag. Plus, his hair was messy and coming out of its usual tidy braid in whisps and tangles. A dead giveaway.

“Sing Soo Ling,” Yut Lung pursed his lips. “If I _wanted_ you to come, I would have answered your text.” He slurred his words and punctuated his statement by taking another long sip of wine. Sometimes it was hard for Sing to remember just how young Yut Lung was. 

“I don’t care if you wanted me to come,” Sing groused as he crossed the room. “We _talked_ about this.” He reached out and teased the wine glass free from Yut Lung’s slender fingers.

“Sing! Give it back!” Yut Lung snarled and made a grab for the wine glass that almost sent him toppling face forward onto the bed. Sing was quick to catch him with his other hand and gently push him back against the pillows.

“No. You’ve had enough. More than enough,” Sing said, collecting the mostly empty bottle of wine from the bedside table, too. “Stay put. I’ll be back in a minute.”

“You can’t tell me what to do. I’m older,” Yut Lung retorted and made another attempt to take back the wine, though it seemed more half hearted this time. Sing pushed him back against the pillows again.

“Stay _put_ ,” Sing said once more, choosing to ignore the part about Yut Lung being older. It seemed like a strangely childish argument given the fact it was over alcohol. “If you try and walk you’ll fall down.”

Sing hoped that Yut Lung would have the good sense to actually listen to him and left the room.

In the kitchen, Sing dumped the rest of the glass of wine down the sink. He looked at the bottle. He didn’t know the first thing about wine, but he could tell it was an expensive bottle just looking at it. Upon inspection, it seemed kind of old and the label was fancy with curlicue script and tastefully drawn grapes.. Definitely expensive. Not that Yut Lung would have had anything _besides_ an expensive bottle. He wasn’t exactly the box wine type. 

Sing took an experimental sniff of the wine and wrinkled his nose up. Wine, red in particular, smelled nasty in his opinion. Yut Lung had made him taste it a few times but he could never see the appeal. No matter how much Yut Lung waxed poetic about its “floral bouquet” or whatever it was he was on about, it was still gross in Sing’s book. He was half convinced that everyone, Yut Lung included, thought wine tasted like shit, but that they drank it anyway to _look_ fancy. Sing had no interest. It wasn’t like Sing was a big drinker to begin with, but when he did want to drink at a party or with his gang, beer was much more his speed even if he didn’t exactly enjoy that too much either. Or he would have a rum and coke with so much coke that he could barely even taste the rum. _I don’t know how he can drink this shit without gagging,_ he thought, locating the cork on the counter. Then, on second thought, he tipped the rest of the bottle down the sink as well. The wine glugged out of the thin neck of the bottle and splashed into the kitchen sink like blood. 

Sing’s throat tightened. 

He hated seeing Yut Lung like this. He understood _why_ Yut Lung would get shitfaced at any convenient opportunity, but Sing still hated it. Yut Lung made him sad pretty often, but this wine drunk, slurring, Yut Lung in particular made his chest ache. It was the time when Yut Lung’s self hatred seemed to bubble closest to the surface, when his carefully constructed facade came the closest to shattering.

Knowing Yut Lung hated the metallic taste of tap water, Sing took a water bottle out of the fridge. It was the fancy kind that cost like four bucks a bottle. Sing shook his head. He grabbed a can of rootbeer for himself. Yut Lung never drank soda, but a while back Sing noticed that he started to keep the fridge stocked with rootbeer and orange soda, which happened to be Sing’s favorites. As best as Sing could figure it, Yut Lung made sure it was there for him. He never _said_ so, but it was pretty obvious. Who else would it be for? That made Sing’s chest ache all over again as he walked back to the bedroom. 

“You can’t keep doing this to yourself, Yue,” Sing said and sat on the edge of Yut Lung’s bed. He took the cap off of the water bottle for Yut Lung before he passed it over. He tried to sound a lot more mature than he felt.

Yut Lung’s eyes flashed.

“I can do whatever I want,” he said in what Sing liked to think of as his snotty voice.

“That doesn’t mean you _should_. Cut the shit,” Sing shot back, annoyed in spite of himself. He cringed when he saw the way Yut Lung bit his lip and how his eyes went to the floor. “Drink your water,” he said in a much gentler tone. “Little sips,” he added, when Yut Lung took a giant gulp. “Or you’ll make yourself sick. If you haven’t already. That was an awful lot of wine.”

“What do you care?” Yut Lung hissed, but Sing wondered how much of the venom in his tone was for show.

“You think I like finding you like this?” Sing frowned. 

“It doesn’t matter.” Yut Lung wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“It does matter,” Sing insisted. He ventured to put his hand on Yut Lung’s knee in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. “I care about you, you know. Even if you don’t think I do. I don’t like seeing you do this to yourself. If you’re feeling bad, you should just call me instead of doing… this. And maybe I could help. Or something. I guess.” He gestured with his hand as if that could sum up what he wanted to say. The words felt inadequate.

Yut Lung fiddled with a loose thread on the sleeve of his blue silk robe and still refused to look at Sing. It was all Sing could do not to panic when he thought he saw the telltale trembling of Yut Lung’s lower lip. Drunk Yut Lung was already a handful, but drunk _and_ crying Yut Lung was probably above his pay grade. 

Then all the blood drained from Yut Lung’s already pale face and Sing, having seen this happen on more than one occasion, grabbed him by the arm and hauled him out of bed to the en suite bathroom. He held Yut Lung’s hair out of the way and patted his back while he retched into the toilet. 

“There, there. You’re okay,” Sing soothed and hoped he didn’t sound as awkward as he felt. Even though this wasn’t the first time Sing was the one to hold Yut Lung’s hair back when he got drunk, he was never entirely sure he was handling it right. _What do people even say in this situation?_ Sing wondered, wincing as Yut Lung gagged. “I’ve got you. It’s alright. You’ll feel better after.”

When he was reasonably certain that Yut Lung was done, he flushed the toilet and helped him rinse his mouth out in the sink. Not wanting him to stand longer than he had to, Sing sat him on the edge of the bathtub. With his arms wrapped around himself, Yut Lung looked small and fragile when Sing handed him a warm washcloth to wipe his face clean. Joining him perched on the edge of the bathtub, Sing sat beside him.

“Are you feeling a little better?” Sing asked, bumping his shoulder against Yut Lung’s once enough time had passed that he hoped his stomach had settled.

“I guess so,” Yut Lung said in a small voice, and Sing thought he’d sobered up some at least. He still seemed pretty drunk, but Sing didn’t think he sounded absolutely wasted any longer.

“Are you ready to go back to bed or do you think we should sit here for a few more minutes? Just in case.” 

“... bed,” Yut Lung whispered after a few moments.

“Bed it is then,” Sing said and guided him back to the bedroom. Even though Yut Lung seemed less drunk, Sing still didn’t trust his balance so he kept a hold of his elbow just to be safe. The last thing either of them needed was to spend the rest of the evening in the ER if Yut Lung fell and split his head open and needed stitches or something. “Drink a little more water before you go to sleep. You’ll be glad that you did in the morning. Drink slowly, though, so you don’t feel sick again. ”

The fight seemed to have gone out of Yut Lung and he quietly drank his water bottle. His shoulders slumped forward and his eyes looked misty. Sing was seized by the desire to hug him, but he wasn’t sure how Yut Lung would feel about that so he resisted. Still, he wanted to do something.

“Hang on a sec,” He said, and went to fetch a hairbrush from Yut Lung’s vanity. “Let me fix your hair before you sleep so it’s not all snarled when you wake up.” Rather than respond, Yut Lung simply turned so Sing could undo the tangled, falling apart mess of his braid. 

“Tell me if I’m pulling or whatever, Yue. I’ve never really brushed anyone’s hair before.” A gesture that seemed like a nod gave him the all clear that Yut Lung had heard. 

Cautious, since he didn’t want to hurt Yut Lung, Sing started to tease the brush through the knots left behind by the unkempt braid. He stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth as he worked. Yut Lung’s hair was long, but it was silky smooth so the tangles came free without too much trouble. Nervous of yanking on Yut Lung’s scalp, he worked some of the worse snarls out with his fingers before taking the brush to them. As he combed, he could feel the tension starting to go from Yut Lung’s shoulders, and he leaned back into Sing’s touch. Sing couldn’t help but wonder if he was falling asleep. Finding it just as calming as Yut Lung seemed to, Sing kept brushing through Yut Lung’s hair long after all the knots were combed out. _He must put some kind of product in it,_ Sing mused, running his fingers through it, _It smells pretty._

When Yut Lung really started to seem like he was nodding off, Sing did his best to recreate the braid. It was a little lopsided, but Sing figured it would do the trick as he twisted the hair tie back around the bottom. Given Yut Lung’s current state, it wasn’t likely that he could have done much better. 

“Okay, all done. The braid is a little crappy looking but it’s better than nothing. You should get some sleep,” Sing said, and gave Yut Lung a pat on the head. Clearly tired, Yut Lung lay down without argument and let Sing pull a blanket up to his chin. Then, he mumbled something into the blanket. His voice was low enough that Sing didn’t quite catch the words.

“What was that?” Sing asked.

“Sing, why are you taking care of me?” Yut Lung said, but he sounded more sad than sullen.

Sing paused for a moment. He was half inclined to say something along the lines of “Well, who else is going to?” but that felt mean and there were traces of vulnerability playing around Yut Lung’s face as he peeked out at Sing from under the covers. And that wasn’t the truth anyway. Sing knew he would have taken care of him even if there had been someone else to do it. For want of a better idea, he decided he may as well be honest.

“Because I want to,” Sing said, looking anywhere but at Yut Lung. “And because you deserve it.”

“Oh,” Yut Lung said, voice small.

“Yeah,” Sing said, still not ready to look at him.

“Even with everything that happened?”

“Even with everything that happened,” Sing confirmed. He wondered if Yut Lung would remember this conversation tomorrow. He hoped that he would. Swallowing, Sing added, “You deserve kindness, you know.”

“Oh,” Yut Lung said again, and Sing heard him rustle down deeper beneath the silky red bedspread. They both sat in silence for a few moments that felt much longer to Sing than they probably were.

“Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?” Yut Lung asked, and Sing finally brought himself to meet his eyes. Embarrassed, it was Yut Lung’s turn to look away from Sing.

“Yeah,” Sing said. “Yeah, I can do that.”

~*~

“What a fucking shit show,” Sing muttered to himself as he all but stomped up the stairs to his fourth floor walk up apartment. What _should_ have been a more or less relaxing day turned into an absolute disaster by eight in the morning. He was only half done eating his cereal when someone in his gang called frantically about a deal that ought to have been easy gone stupidly, inexplicably wrong. Sing had to rush out with his phone on less than twenty percent battery to do damage control. That had been _this morning_ and his phone had long since died. It was already _dark._ Everything was somehow resolved, but the situation had been dicey at best and Sing just wanted to go to bed. 

The whole issue was the kind of thing that Shorter could have worked out in a snap. Even Lao, hotheaded as he was, probably would have done better than Sing had. God, he missed them. Sing sighed. Somehow, being the leader never seemed to get any easier. It didn’t help that he was still so short and looked so young. 

No one would take him seriously like this even though he’d proved himself time and again. He still looked like an easy target. Anyone who had gone head to head with him would know he _wasn’t_ an easy target, far from it, but he knew he _looked_ like a scrappy little kid.

Sing groaned aloud as he finished off the last flight of stairs and stepped onto his landing. _Guess I’ll just keep on praying for a goddam growth spurt or something._

Distracted by thoughts of how tall he hoped to be when he stopped growing, he almost jumped out of his skin when he saw someone huddled on the floor against his doorway. As he went to snatch for his _kunai,_ he realized it was Yut Lung and his hand dropped back to his side.

“Yue, what are you-”

“You _said_ to call,” Yut Lung snapped. His fine features twisted into a scowl and his eyes flashed as he jumped to his feet.

“What?” Sing asked.

“You said to call!” Yut Lung said again. “The other day! You said to call!”

“ _Oh,_ ” Sing said, remembering his words the night he’d found Yut Lung falling down drunk. _I told him to call if he was feeling bad. And he_ did _and naturally I couldn’t even use my fucking phone. Shit._

“You said to call and you didn’t answer! I called and you didn’t pick up. And I left a voicemail. And I texted. And I called _again,_ ” Yut Lung said, and Sing could hear the quiver in his voice. “And you didn’t answer the phone.”

“ _Shit,_ ” Sing said. “Yue, my phone died hours and hours ago. There was... gang stuff. That was going bad, and yeah. I’ve been dealing with it all day. But shit. I’m sorry. I’d have answered if I’d seen. Promise.” 

“Oh,” Yut Lung sniffed. The fire seemed to go out of him immediately and he curled in on himself where he stood.

“How did you even get up here on the landing?” Sing asked.

“Someone let me in when I knocked on the front door of the building,” Yut Lung said softly and crossed his arms across his middle. He wouldn’t look Sing in the eye. “Are you mad?”

“No, of course I’m not mad. Really. Why are you here, though, Yue?”

Yut Lung looked at his feet. For the first time, Sing noticed he wasn’t dressed for the cooler evening weather. It had been warm during the day, but when the sun went down it got chilly. Sing’s apartment building was drafty to say the least, and now Yut Lung was shivering in shorts and a sleeveless top. 

“I got scared when you didn’t answer. So I came here,” Yut Lung whispered and Sing couldn’t help but notice the way his lower lip wobbled.

“Well, I’m here now,” Sing said and shrugged out of his jacket. He draped it around Yut Lung’s shoulders. “Come on, Yue. Let’s get you inside. You must be freezing. Sorry again about not answering.”

Wordless, Yut Lung put his arms through the sleeves and pulled the jacket closed across his chest. Even though Yut Lung was taller, the blue and white jacket was still a decent fit. Sing watched as Yut Lung ran a hand over the soft fabric of the sleeve.

“I have a key to your place, so I really gotta get you one for mine,” Sing rambled. “Fair is fair. Maybe I’ll go to the hardware store tomorrow so I can get one. If you had one today you wouldn’t have had to sit out here on the landing freezing your ass off.” 

He had a bad feeling Yut Lung was about to cry and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do if he did. It wasn’t like Sing had a lot of experience comforting people. For a few moments he thought the jacket had helped, but whenever he would steal a glance at Yut Lung, it was all too obvious that his dark eyes were swimming with tears. But Yut Lung didn’t talk as Sing chattered about the key. He just stood there and ran his hands up and down his arms like he wanted to warm himself up. There wasn’t enough vigor in the gesture to actually provide any warmth, though. 

Unlocking the door, Sing steered Yut Lung into the apartment, hand on the small of his back. He could still feel Yut Lung shiver.

“It’s warmest in the bedroom, probably. The window by the couch has a draft,” Sing said, half to himself since Yut Lung didn’t seem inclined to reply. “And there’s blankets on the bed.”

“Okay,” Yut Lung said, in such a quiet voice Sing almost didn’t hear him.

“C’mon then.”

On the bed, Yut Lung scooted to the corner by the wall and grasped at the front of the jacket with trembling hands. He looked small and sad and scared. Sing felt something twist in his chest. Joining Yut Lung on the bed, Sing slid over next to him. Tentative, he placed a hand over Yut Lung’s shaking one and rested his other hand between Yut Lung’s shoulder blades. Even though he wasn’t sure he really knew how to do the whole comforting thing, dammit, he was going to _try._

“What’s wrong, Yue?” Sing asked. He smoothed his thumb in a circle on the back of Yut Lung’s hand and hoped it was the right thing to do. 

Yut Lung squeezed his eyes shut tight and his face crumbled. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

“What _isn’t_ wrong? I miss my _mother._ And I can’t stop thinking of everything that I’ve fucked up. And I’m tired of being scared all the time. And I really, _really_ want a drink right now but I’m not going to have one,” Yut Lung choked out and then dissolved into gasping sobs. 

“Yue,” Sing whispered. It wasn’t nearly the first time he’d seen Yut Lung cry, but it was the first time he’d seen Yut Lung cry like _this._ He was determined to be less useless than he’d been the other times Yut Lung had wept in front of him.

_What do I do? What does he need?_ Sing thought, biting his lip. 

Sing remembered one night when he and Eiji and the others had been planning Ash’s rescue. He’d been tired, overwhelmed, and felt like he was in way above his head. But there was no choice. If he didn’t take charge, who would? But his new leadership felt uncomfortably heavy on his shoulders. Throughout the meeting, Sing felt more and more convinced that he couldn’t possibly do it. There were too many moving pieces. Too many things that could go wrong. Too many things he was supposed to be in charge of. He thought he’d at least done a good job putting on a brave face, but after everyone else had left, and it was just him and Eiji, Eiji had looked at him with those big, kind, brown eyes of his and asked “Are you okay, Sing?” and Sing had cracked. Eiji, who was consumed with worry about Ash, still had time to worry about him. To Sing’s embarrassment, he’d burst into tears immediately. But Eiji hadn’t told him to get a grip, or to stop crying, he’d just pulled him to a hug and let him cry it out, patting his back and promising things would be okay even if Sing wasn’t so sure they would be. It had felt unexpectedly nice. Safe, even. 

So Sing decided it would be worth a try. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Yut Lung and hoped that somehow it would help.

Yut Lung froze.

_Oh no. I did the wrong thing,_ Sing thought, panicking, but then before he could let go, Yut Lung threw his arms around Sing and buried his face against Sing’s chest. If anything, he was crying even harder than before.

“Hey, it’ll all be okay,” Sing said, rubbing Yut Lung’s back. 

“What if it’s not,” Yut Lung gulped between sobs, voice wet.

“It will be. It will be,” Sing soothed. “You’ll be alright.”

At first, he’d been trying to copy Eiji, but he found himself falling into his own rhythm as he reassured Yut Lung. He stroked Yut Lung’s hair and rocked him back and forth. He still felt kind of awkward, but he felt like he was helping. At least a little.

“I’m sorry,” Yut Lung sniffled as his tears started to abate. 

“Shhhh. Don’t be,” Sing said, working up the nerve to give Yut Lung an extra squeeze. “I’m glad you called me. _I’m_ sorry that I didn’t answer the goddam phone.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Yut Lung sighed. His voice sounded scratchy and hoarse from crying. He rearranged himself so his head was cuddled against Sing’s shoulder. “If your phone was dead, your phone was dead.”

“Still,” Sing said. He kept his arms wrapped around Yut Lung. “I am gonna get you a key though.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Why wouldn’t I?” Sing asked and ran his hand up and down Yut Lung’s arm.

“I guess I’m just surprised you want me to have it,” Yut Lung whispered against Sing’s shoulder.

“Sure I want you to have it. You can come around whenever you want, Yue. So you oughtta have a key,” Sing said.

“I can?” Yut Lung said, and Sing couldn’t miss the surprise in his voice, no matter how Yut Lung tried to conceal it.

“Yep,” Sing said, but that somehow felt inadequate. “Yue, you know I like spending time with you right?”

“Um,” Yut Lung started, but never finished the thought. After a few moments of silence, Sing decided he may as well keep going.

“‘Cause I do. Why do you think I drop by all the time?”

“I don’t know,” Yut Lung replied. 

“Geez, Yue,” Sing huffed. “Well, that’s why.” He was glad that Yut Lung’s face was tucked against his shoulder so he wouldn’t be able to see the blush creeping across his cheeks.

“Oh,” Yut Lung said, and Sing was pretty positive that he felt him scoot ever so slightly closer to him.

“Yeah.” Sing wasn’t sure what else he should say, and it didn’t seem like Yut Lung was very certain either so neither of them spoke. Even as they sat in silence, Yut Lung didn’t make any effort to disentangle himself from Sing, and Sing didn’t move his arms from where they were wrapped around Yut Lung’’s slim frame. It still felt a little awkward, but at the same time, having Yut Lung snuggled up against his side felt warm and safe and pleasant, which only made him blush _more._

“Look, it’s getting late, do you just wanna stay? We can play video games. Or something,” Sing said the words all in rush. It _was_ getting late, and he also didn’t like the thought of Yut Lung being all by himself after crying like that. He’d stayed over at Yut Lung’s place plenty of times, usually when there was some kind of threat, or when Yut Lung was drunk enough to need someone to babysit him. This would be the first time Yut Lung stayed over at his apartment, though. When Yut Lung didn’t answer right away, Sing mentally kicked himself. “If you don’t wanna that’s fine. I can take you home then-”

“No, no. I’ll stay,” Yut Lung interrupted. He pulled away from Sing and looked at him. Even though his eyes were red from crying, Sing couldn’t help but think he looked pretty. Who was he kidding though, Yut Lung always looked pretty. “Please.”

“Yeah, sure. No problem,” Sing said, and ran a hand over the back of his neck, wishing his face didn’t look as pink as he figured it must.

“Thanks, Sing.”

“Anytime, Yue.”

~*~

“Sing?” Yut Lung picked up on the first ring.

“Yeah. Hey Yue, you busy?”

“Now?” Yut Lung asked. “Is everything alright?”

“Yep,” Sing said. He was already walking to Yut Lung’s place since he was banking on him being available. Usually, unless the two of them were off somewhere handling gang business, Yut Lung tended to be kind of a homebody.

“I’m free. What do you need?” Yut Lung sounded a little confused.

“I’m gonna take you somewhere. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Sing said, smiling even though Yut Lung wasn’t there to see it.

“Where?”

“That’d ruin the surprise,” Sing laughed. “But it’ll be fun.”

“Well if you won’t tell me, how do I know what I’m supposed to _wear_?” Yut Lung said, sounding a little annoyed, even though Sing caught curiosity in his tone as well.

“I dunno, clothes?”

“Not helpful, Sing Soo Ling!” Yut Lung squaked.

“See you in ten, Yue,” Sing laughed and hung up the phone before Yut Lung had a chance to reply. Still, he caught the beginning of an indignant shriek before the connection was cut.

Whistling as he walked, Sing shoved his phone and his hands into his pockets. Ever since the evening when Yut Lung turned up on his doorstep and wound up crying in his bed, Sing had resolved to try and spend more time with Yut Lung that wasn’t related to gang stuff and trying to get Chinatown back under control. Now, since they were starting to get a handle on that, there would be at least somewhat more time for fun, anway. And it _had_ been fun when Yut Lung stayed over. Playing video games and eating slightly burnt frozen pizza with Yut Lung had made for a nice, low key evening. Plus, Yut Lung was abso-fucking-lutley _awful_ at Mario Kart and Sing had gotten a kick out of repeatedly ramming Yut Lung’s kart off the Rainbow Road while Yut Lung tried, and failed, to figure out the controls. 

Sing’s throat felt tight when he thought about how Yut Lung expressed doubt that Sing even liked him, so he wanted to do better to make sure that Yut Lung actually understood that Sing did more than just _tolerate_ him. 

Sing hurried along, dodging around crowds of people who were out enjoying the early summer warmth. It wasn’t a long walk, but Sing wanted to hurry along and make it to Yut Lung’s place anyway. He didn’t need to waste the afternoon walking at a snail’s pace behind dawdling grannies who wanted to stop and peer into every shop window and pause to gossip with someone on every stoop. Then again, he wasn’t sure why he was hurrying since there was no way Yut Lung would possibly be ready by the time he arrived to pick him up.

Yut Lung’s place was a lot nicer than his own, so it had an elevator. Sing took advantage of it, figuring that he did plenty of stairs at his own apartment. Plus it was faster than jogging up the stairwell. He trotted down Yut Lung’s hallway, eager to arrive even though there wasn’t any reason to rush. Just as Sing was waffling between using his key to let himself in and knocking, the door opened.

Yut Lung wore strappy sandals and white capri pants with a flowing, red, tunic style top. He looked wonderful. Well, Sing always thought he looked beautiful, but today he looked _extra_ nice, even in more casual clothes.

“Hi,” Sing said, scrambling for something to say since he wasn’t really expecting to be greeted at the door, and Yut Lung really did look pretty. “You’re ready faster than I expected.”

Yut Lung flushed and looked down at his outfit, playing with the hem of the tunic. His shoulders curled forward.

“Is this okay to wear?” Yut Lung asked, and Sing could hear disappointment edging into his voice. Then his tone became haughtier and he straightened his posture. “I figured you wouldn’t have anywhere fancy in mind.”

Sing resisted the urge to roll his eyes and resolved that next time he _would_ take Yut Lung somewhere fancy just for the sake of proving a point. Still, he could see traces of self consciousness in Yut Lung’s bearing. Anyone who didn’t know him as well as Sing did never would have even begun to notice. Yut Lung was very good at playing at being a self-assured, confident person but Sing was getting better and better at seeing the cracks in the facade.

“Well, _I_ think you look really nice,” Sing said, surprising himself a little with his own boldness. He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. “And that outfit is perfectly fine for where we’re going, too.”

“ _Oh,_ ” Yut Lung’s eyebrows shot up. “I mean, thank you, Sing.”

“Red is a nice color on you,” Sing added, and he couldn’t help but feel pleased when he saw Yut Lung start to blush. “Ready to go?”

“Are you going to tell me where exactly you’re taking me?” Yut Lung asked, hooking an arm through the elbow Sing offered as they set off down the hall for the elevator.

“Nope,” Sing said, popping the ‘p’ sound. “I already said that it’s a surprise, didn’t I?”

“Now you’re just being difficult,” Yut Lung huffed.

“Hey, I thought that was your job,” Sing teased and stuck his tongue out at Yut Lung, who momentarily unhooked his arm from Sing’s to give him a whack on the back of the head. It was playful, not designed to hurt, but Sing feigned injury.

“Owwww,” he groaned. “I’m taking you out and you thank me with assault?” He jostled against Yut Lung and laughed. Rather than reply, Yut Lung rolled his eyes and gave a dramatic sigh, though Sing thought it sounded more fond than anything. He put his arm back around Sing’s anyway, a sure sign that he wasn’t actually upset.

Sing was glad that Yut Lung didn’t let go of his arm even once they were outside. He liked the feeling of walking along with Yut Lung’s arm tucked into his. They didn’t chat much, but the silence was comfortable and the street provided plenty to look at and listen to. Kids played on the sidewalk, drawing with chalk or skipping rope and people sat out on their stoops to talk with their neighbors and enjoy the nice weather. Yut Lung seemed content as he kept pace with Sing. Sing stole glances at the little smile playing around Yut Lung’s mouth. It was rare to see him look so relaxed.

“C’mon, it’s right down this way,” Sing said, tugging Yut Lung down a side street. He grinned when he saw their destination. “Oh good, there’s almost no line. Sometimes it’s around the freaking block.”

“An ice cream parlor?” Yut Lung asked, looking at the shop as he and Sing stepped into line. Sing was already craning his neck to get a better look at the board with the flavors listed on it. The ice cream window was capped with a cheerful pastel awning in blue and pink, and there were benches and a few little wire tables for people to sit at along the sidewalk. Ever since Sing was little, it had always been his favorite ice cream place. He had fond memories of coming there with Lao and Shorter and buying treats by pooling their pocket money.

“Yep,” Sing said, suddenly concerned that his great plan wasn’t actually so great after all. “You do like ice cream, right? I thought I’d seen you eating it before.”

“I do like it,” Yut Lung said quickly. “Really.”

“Oh, good,” Sing said. “And get whatever you want. My treat.”

“You don’t have to pay, you know,” Yut Lung said and quirked an eyebrow at him. “I’m perfectly capable of paying for myself.”

“I _know_ that, but no dice. I’m paying,” Sing said, drawing himself up to try and seem at least a little taller. 

“ _I’m_ older, so _I_ should pay” Yut Lung snorted, but Sing saw a teasing glint in his eye.

“Tough shit,” Sing said and stuck his tongue out at Yut Lung for the second time that day. “If you try and pay I’m gonna have to fight you. Look at the goddam menu and choose what you wanna get. They always have interesting flavors here.”

Yut Lung rolled his eyes at Sing, but without ire, and looked over the board of flavors.

“You know which one you want?” Sing asked once they were next in line.

“Of course. But do you? I’m not sure you’re tall enough to read the menu,” Yut Lung cackled.

“Remind me again why I’m buying you ice cream?” Sing groused as they approached the counter.

“Because I’m so pretty,” Yut Lung said, fluttering his eyelashes at Sing theatrically.

“You got me there, you are really pretty” Sing admitted, and Yut Lung’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “And because I thought it would be fun. Anyway, you go first,” Sing added, trying to rein in his blushing. _I can’t believe I said that out loud!_

“Oh, um, can I have a small passion fruit ice cream in a cone please,” Yut Lung asked the girl behind the counter, still obviously flustered. The girl gave them a knowing smile that Sing didn’t quite know what to do with. It only made Sing’s cheeks grow redder.

“Live a little, make that a medium, please. And can I please have a medium cookie butter ice cream with chocolate sprinkles? In a cone,” Sing asked.

“Sure thing boys, coming right up,” she said with a toothy grin. 

“I’ll never be able to finish a medium ice cream,” Yut Lung groaned. “And I’m surprised she didn’t ask you if you wanted a kiddie cone.”

“I’m not that short! I bet you _anything_ I’ll be taller than you by this time next year. I’m just waiting for my growth spurt is all,” Sing pouted and Yut Lung just laughed.

“We’ll see about that,” he started, but then the girl was back at the counter with the ice creams before he could continue his teasing. He held the cones while Sing paid, then handed over the cookie butter cone.

“Thanks, Sing,” Yut Lung said as they walked in the direction of the park. All the tables near the ice cream window had been occupied, and the park was only a little way down the street.

“Don’t mention it,” Sing grinned. “Thanks for coming with me. This is nice.”

“Mhm,” Yut Lung agreed as he ate his cone. Then he bit his lip, and before Sing could ask him if something was wrong, Yut Lung tentatively grabbed his hand. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah,” Sing said, and felt his brain short circuiting. If anything, it was _better_ than okay, but he couldn’t quite figure out how to say that out loud so he settled for giving Yut Lung’s slender fingers a squeeze. Yut Lung squeezed back.

Finding an empty bench to sit on at the park proved to be a challenge. It seemed like the whole city was out enjoying the pleasant weather and every bench they passed was occupied. As they wandered the park, a bicyclist suddenly cut in front of them, and Sing pulled Yut Lung back on instinct.

Startled, Yut Lung dropped his barely eaten cone and it plopped to the path ice cream side down.

“Hey! Watch where you’re _going,_ jerk!” Sing hollered after the cyclist, but the man ignored him and just kept on pedaling like a madman. Then Sing looked down at the ice cream cone as it melted onto the hot pavement. Rivulets of yellow passion fruit ice cream streamed across the sidewalk.

“Shit,” Sing said. “I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You just didn’t want me to get run over,” Yut Lung shrugged as he picked up the ruined cone and dropped it into the closest trash can. “I should be thanking you for moving me out of the way like that.”

“Still. We can go back and get you a new one,” Sing said, and then glanced at his own cone. “Or, if you don’t mind cookie butter, we can just share mine.” Sing’s words came out all in a jumble, and he felt surprised at his own nerve. He remembered a television show where someone shared a drink with their crush and they called it an indirect kiss, and that was pretty much the same thing as sharing an ice cream cone. The thought almost made his cheeks flush all over again. Clearing his throat, he added, “If you want to, I mean.”

“Sure, I’ll try it,” Yut Lung said, sounding much more relaxed than Sing felt. Doing his best to act normal, Sing held the cone out for Yut Lung to taste. Rather than take it from Sing like he was expecting, Yut Lung seemed to think Sing was holding it up for him. Not bothering to correct him, Sing just went along with it. “Hm, it’s sweeter than what I usually get, but I like it,” Yut Lung said after a moment of consideration.

“I’m, uh, glad,” Sing said, and they continued their walk around the park and shared the ice cream. Between holding hands and sharing the cone, Sing felt more and more like he was on a date. And he enjoyed it. So much so, in fact, that he wished it really _was_ a date. _There’s no way Yut Lung is interested in me like that, though,_ he told himself. _I mean, he is holding my hand, but that’s probably in a friendly way. Or something. Don’t get ahead of yourself._

Even after the ice cream was finished and the cone’s paper wrapper was shoved into Sing’s jacket pocket, Yut Lung and Sing continued their walk around the park. Sing was certainly in no rush to go back home, and it didn’t seem like Yut Lung was either. Eventually, they found themselves sitting under a tree by the little pond in the center of the park, watching fish swim around and ducks bob on the surface while they talked. Sing’s jacket made for a good place to sit since Yut Lung didn’t want to get grass stains on his white capris. Sing didn’t mind since they had to sit right next to each other to share it. 

Then, in a lull in the conversation, Yut Lung leaned in close and kissed Sing’s cheek.

“I’m really glad you brought me here, Sing,” he said. “It was a lot of fun.” He looked at the ground, shy, and Sing’s heart thundered against his ribcage.

_Be brave! Do it!!_

Once he’d plucked up the courage, Sing gave Yut Lung a peck on the cheek in return, blushing fiercely.

“Any time, Yue,” Sing said, fondness spreading through his chest when he saw Yut Lung’s smile. “Any time at all.”

Following the second kiss, even though it had only been on the cheek, they both turned bashful and couldn’t quite seem to summon up the necessary daring to look at each other. Yut Lung’s hand found Sing’s and he laced their fingers together again. Sing had the sense that everything would be different now, but he figured it would be in a good way.

“Oh shoot, I nearly forgot!” Sing said, and Yut Lung looked startled when he broke the sheepish silence. “One sec.”

With his free hand, Sing fished around in his pants pocket until his fingers closed around cool metal. “Close your eyes and put out your hand,” Sing instructed and Yung Lung complied without hesitation. Smiling, Sing pressed the keys into his hand. He had put them on a keychain with a grumpy cat face that sort of reminded him of Yut Lung’s expression when he was annoyed. “Guess what it is!”

“Keys?” Yut Lung said, and opened up his eyes. He smiled when he saw the keychain. 

“Yep. To my place. I labeled which is for the front door and which is for my apartment.”

“I didn’t know you were actually going to do it,” Yut Lung said, voice soft, turning the keys over in his fingers.

“I said I would, didn’t I?” Sing asked and squeezed Yut Lung’s hand.

“I thought you were just saying it to be nice,” Yut Lung admitted, biting his lip. “Because I was upset. I wasn’t sure you actually meant it.”

“Well I did mean it,” Sing said, doing his best to sound reassuring. “And I mean it when I tell you that you can come over whenever you want to, okay? I trust you.”

“Really?”

“Really really,” Sing nodded. Then he was almost bowled over when Yut Lung threw his arms around him in a tight hug. Returning the embrace, Sing grinned against Yut Lung’s shoulder.

“Thanks for everything, Sing.”

“Of course, Yue.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed the story! Please be sure to check out RottenVelvet's art on Twitter @RvelvetArts (https://twitter.com/rvelvetarts), and check out the rest of the Reverse Big Bang collaborations! You can see them in the collection here on AO3, or find them on Twitter on the account @BananaFishRbb (https://twitter.com/bananafishrbb) ! 
> 
> Please be sure to let me know what you think! Comments never fail to make my day! You can also find me on twitter @pennylanewrites (https://twitter.com/pennylanewrites) if you would like to say "hi" on there! 
> 
> And a big thank you to Miranda for beta reading this fic for me!! 
> 
> Thanks again for reading! Have a lovely day and stay safe everyone!!


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